Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 116 Beating
No. 7, Hutong, Suzhou.

Not far away, a man in bell-bottoms took off his wool hat, scratched his bald head, and then put the hat back on, muttering, "This is fucking boring. I should have switched places with Xiao Bian. I went to ride with the car. What the hell is the point of guarding this lousy yard?"

A young man with a middle parting and a slick look offered him a cigarette with a fawning smile: "Brother Guang, there's a hot girl in this yard."

The bald man licked his cigarette, his eyes scanning the man with the middle parting up and down: "What's the point of little girls? I prefer young men, hahaha!"

The man with the middle parting shuddered, then chuckled sheepishly and took a step back.

The bald man patted his shoulder: "Just kidding, look at you. Master Liu gave us a reward. We've been freezing all day, let's have a good drink tonight, you two brothers."

Before the man with the middle part could answer, the back gate of courtyard number 7 opened. A man in a green woolen overcoat pushed a bicycle out, a briefcase hanging on the handlebars. He rode the bicycle eastward.

The man with the middle parting twisted his shoulder, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes: "Brother Guang, this guy lives in the same courtyard as the vegetable seller, he might be in cahoots. Should I follow him and take a look?"

Before the bald man could answer, he got on his bicycle and followed, cursing, "Pah! You damn bald bastard, so what if you started out a few days earlier than me? When I make it big, I'll cripple you first!"

The man with the middle parting followed them all the way to the state-owned trust store. After waiting for a while, Ji Hongbin finally came out, clutching his black briefcase tightly.

The man with the middle parting eyes lit up: "Hey, I actually hit the jackpot! He's got some good stuff!"

Ji Hongbin rode his bicycle onward and arrived at the bank again. This time, the man with the middle parting waited even longer outside, but he wasn't in a hurry at all; on the contrary, he was even happier: "Damn it, I need to plan this carefully. This is definitely a big fish!"

Half an hour later, Ji Hongbin walked out of the bank with a smile on his face, thinking to himself: Hey, being a foreigner is really useful. If it weren't for my older sister's connections, they wouldn't have been able to exchange any money, they would have even confiscated the gold bars.

Ji Hongbin looked around, hung his briefcase on the handlebars, and rode his bicycle home, glancing back every now and then to check his surroundings. He only felt at ease when he was quite a distance from the bank.

He was riding very fast when, as he rounded an alley, a figure suddenly appeared, sticking a stick into the wheel. The wheel jammed, the bike came to a screeching halt, and Ji Hongbin tumbled forward, falling flat on his face. The bicycle fell over, and his briefcase also dropped to the ground.

A man with a scarf covering his face picked up a briefcase, ran away without looking back, and turned into the alley ahead.

As he ran, his scarf fell off, revealing his middle-parted hair. He made several turns, got on his bicycle leaning against the wall, and entered another alley. Only then did he finally relax and let out a low laugh: "Hehe, I've hit the jackpot this time!"

The man with the middle parting found a secluded corner, opened his briefcase with great anticipation, and was completely dumbfounded—it was filled with a pile of old newspapers. He couldn't help but curse, "Fuck your mother!"

……

other end

Ji Hongbin stood up, rubbing his sore arms and legs, but showed no intention of chasing the thief, muttering under his breath, "Idiot."

He hopped on his bicycle and hurried home. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he entered the Suzhou alleyways.

Upon seeing a Jiefang truck parked at the front gate, Ji Hongbin couldn't help but get off his bicycle: "Just a few days ago, we were using a flatbed cart to haul vegetables. Now, after only a few days, it's all been replaced by a truck."

For some reason, he felt a sense of loss.

The car door opened, and Li Zhe got out of the passenger seat. He happened to see Ji Hongbin and greeted him with a smile: "Boss Ji."

Ji Hongbin was taken aback, looking Li Zhe up and down—in his memory, Li Zhe was still that country bumpkin wrapped in an old cotton-padded jacket, thick cotton-padded trousers, and shoes with mud on the soles. Seeing the other man dressed neatly and with an air of importance made him very uncomfortable.

"Mr. Li, where did you get this truck?"

"It's used for transporting vegetables." Li Zhe didn't answer directly. He wasn't familiar with Ji Hongbin, and there were some things he didn't need to tell him, so he changed the subject: "Boss Ji, it's been a while since I've seen you. I heard you went to the south to do business?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Hongbin's face immediately darkened. Thinking of his ordeal on the way south, he gritted his teeth in anger and lost all interest in speaking. He said coldly, "I have things to do at home. Let's talk another day." Without waiting for Li Zhe's response, he turned and left.

Li Zhe was also puzzled: How could this person change their expression so suddenly? Are they a dog?

Bah! How could I possibly curse gold...

Ji Hongbin pushed his bicycle to the back door of his house and snorted, "He's just a vegetable seller, why is he acting all high and mighty? Like a pig with a scallion stuck in its nose."

dong dong!

Ji Hongbin knocked on the door and pushed his bicycle into the backyard. Tan Jingya saw that he was covered in dirt and asked with concern, "Sir, what happened to you? Is something wrong?"

"Don't even mention it. I exchanged my gold bars and was immediately targeted as soon as I left the bank. I was robbed on the way and they even stole my briefcase."

"What? You got robbed again? Are you alright?" Tan Jingya looked Ji Hongbin up and down.

"No," Ji Hongbin waved his hand. "I chased that person away; it's nothing." Tan Jingya was puzzled: He chased the person away, but how come his briefcase is gone too? But she didn't dare ask. Suddenly, something occurred to her: "The money for exchanging gold was also stolen?"

Ji Hongbin smiled and said, "The money isn't in the briefcase."

Tan Jingya asked in confusion, "Where did you put the money?"

Ji Hongbin looked down and an embarrassed expression appeared on his face...

Jianguomen Police Station.

Director Wei leaned back in his chair, sipping his tea, and glanced at the man standing across from his desk. The man, with a scar on his cheek, was none other than Liu, the notorious gangster boss known as "Cleaver Liu."

Cleaver Liu pulled a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to him with a smile: "Director Wei, what can I do for you?"

Director Wei took the cigarette and had just put it in his mouth when Cleaver Liu took out a lighter and lit it for him.

"Pretend! You're already here and still pretending with me. Were those two, the one with the pigtail and the one with the rat, sent by you to steal the car?"

When Cleaver Liu heard this, his eyelids twitched – he had only sent Little Braid and Mouse to gather information, how did it become a carjacking?
"Director Wei, is there some misunderstanding here? Xiao Bian and Haozi are my men, but I never asked them to do anything illegal."

"You're not going to tell the truth, are you? Fine, then you can go back." Director Wei waved his hand. "Remember to close the door when you leave."

Cleaver Liu stood still, pondering for a while before saying, "A vegetable vendor came to me, saying that a group of out-of-towners are selling vegetables at high prices in Beijing, disrupting the vegetable market. Moreover, this group is hoarding their own produce, growing and selling it themselves, breaking the rules of the vegetable market, and they want me to talk to them." Cleaver Liu paused for a moment, seeing that Director Wei's expression remained normal, and continued, "I had my men investigate the situation of this group of out-of-towners, hoping to discuss a business partnership with them."

Director Wei stared at him: "How do you plan to discuss this?"

"Let those out-of-towners sell their vegetables to me, and I'll distribute them to local vegetable vendors. That way, everyone can make money."

Director Wei pressed further: "What are you planning to do if those out-of-towners refuse to sell to you?"

"I haven't planned anything, I'm just going to give it a try. If it doesn't work out, I won't lose anything." After saying that, Cleaver Liu tentatively asked, "Chief Wei, do you know these out-of-towners...?"

Director Wei didn't believe his nonsense and instead asked, "If they weren't planning to sell vegetables, would you just steal them?"

Seeing that Liu, the cleaver, remained silent, Director Wei continued, "Let me tell you the truth, if you really steal their vegetables, you won't be leaving the police station today, and it's uncertain whether you'll ever be able to leave in the future."

Cleaver Liu was startled: "Director Wei, do these outsiders have such powerful connections?"

Director Wei flicked his cigarette ash. "Do you know where they deliver vegetables to?"

Cleaver Liu shook his head—his men had all been arrested, how could he get news from them?
Director Wei pinched his fingers and said, "Donglaishun, Quanjude, Great Wall Hotel. What does the Great Wall Hotel do? You should know."

"If the restaurant happens to be hosting a high-profile group of foreign guests today, and you manage to steal all the food, do you believe the police chief will be calling my office within half an hour? Think about what will happen to you!"

Cleaver Liu broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "Director Wei, it's a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! I never intended to steal vegetables, nor did I know they were supplying vegetables to the Great Wall Restaurant. If I had known, I would never have done this!"

"It doesn't matter if you die, just don't implicate your family." Director Wei knew what he cared about most.

"Thank you for reminding me! Without your reminder, I might have really been in trouble." Cleaver Liu said sincerely, promising, "From now on, you can tell me where to go, and I'll do it without hesitation!"

"Don't give me that crap!" Director Wei pointed at him. "Stay away from those vegetable vendors from now on, and remember what I said—some money you might earn but not live to spend!"

"Yes! I promise I won't mess with them." Seeing that Director Wei had finished his cigarette, Cleaver Liu offered him another one: "Do you think I should pay them a visit and apologize in person?"

"No need, I'll tell them what I need to say." Director Wei didn't respond. "Let me remind you, don't try anything funny about this. If their food has problems on your turf in the future, I don't care what the reason is..." Director Wei stared at Cleaver Liu, his meaning clear even before he finished speaking.

Cleaver Liu nodded repeatedly in agreement. He still couldn't figure it out: did those vegetable vendors have connections with Director Wei, or did they have someone protecting them? But whatever the reason, he couldn't afford to offend them.

After saying some nice things, Cleaver Liu tentatively asked, "Director Wei, do you think I could take Little Braid and Mouse with me?"

“They are suspected of stealing a large sum of money and can’t leave for the time being. Let’s detain them for a while,” Director Wei reminded them. “Keep an eye on your men and don’t let them get into any trouble where ‘it’s easier to deal with the devil than his minions.’”

"Don't worry! Anyone who dares to mess with this will be the first one I won't let off!" Cleaver Liu was really scared—if what the director said was true, and he had stolen food from the Great Wall Hotel while the hotel was entertaining foreign guests... then his good days were over.

Cleaver Liu stumbled out of the police station, surrounded by his henchmen. The bald man asked, "Boss, what happened? What did Little Braid and Mouse do?"

Cleaver Liu glared at him: "This is not the place to talk. Send someone to the market to find Old Dog Wu and tell him I want to see him."

(End of this chapter)